What's the cheapest 24/48 port stackable G/bit switch on all ports?

[goldiethedog]

Cisco I mean. Just need to add some resilience to a medium sized branch office with about 250 users spread across 15 switches using uplinks. No VLANS used and I don't need a routing switch. Four or five servers with dual Gbit NICs and some Cisco 2950's and 2960's with Gbit uplinks all to spread across a new stacked pair. As it's a branch office they won't throw any money at it. Thanks.

[paolo bevilacqua]

Check the new 2960S.

There is nothing else that meets your requirements.

[goldiethedog]

Thanks but the guy here: http://www.velocityreviews.com/forums/t710770-ha-redundant-2960s.html

says

If you're saying that you will have one NIC in the server going to one switch and the other NIC going to the other switch AND you're going to team them, then you've got a problem. 2960's don't support cross chassis etherchannel. You've got to have 3750's or 6500's to do that.

I don't need to team the NIC's but want to use them for redundancy and max data throughput. Is he right?

[Jon Marshall · Accepted solution]

Paul

If you want to use both NICs to forward traffic then you would need to either

1) connect both NICs to the same switch with an etherchannel - this applies to 2900/3560/4500 switches

2) connect both NICs across switches - this applies to 3750 with cross stack etherchannel and 6500 with VSS

However if you simply want to run NIC as active and the other as standby then the 2960 switch will be fine assuming you are purchasing 2 of them and interconnecting them.

Jon

Please rate helpful posts.

[goldiethedog]

Jon,

Thanks for coming in on this one too.

So I need a pair of WS-C2960S-24TS-L to give me a stacked pair and Gbit ports.

Then I can Team the server ports and have one NIC each going to each switch in the stack providing one active and one standby.

Then I need to connect 8 WS-C2960-24TT-L switches to the stack. I want to use the Gbit uplink ports on these switches. Do I use etherchannel trunks on the uplinks to allow them to span across the stack? What throughput from each C2960-24TT-L does this give? Is it 1Gbit or 2Gbit?

Thanks

Paul  

[Digital2Analog]

You will only be able to do etherchannel to the same 2960 not connected to multiple switches unless you are upgrading to a 3750 or 6500 as mentioned before.  If you are worried about failover options rather then throughput of the 2960's you can uplink to multiple switches and just make sure your switch port info and STP is setup correctly or you will create a loop.

[the-lebowski]

You can get used 24port gig 3750's for $1400 or so.  Two of them will cost your roughly $2800.  You can then stack them and run your etherchannels according to the way you want, 1 to each switch.  I use them (plus a handful of 48ports) in my company.

[goldiethedog]

OK lets get this straight.

From Jon's post I read:

1) connect both NICs to the same switch with an etherchannel - this applies to 2900/3560/4500 switches

2) connect both NICs across switches - this applies to 3750 with cross stack etherchannel and 6500 with VSS

However if you simply want to run NIC as active and the other as standby then the 2960 switch will be fine assuming you are purchasing 2 of them and interconnecting them.

This last bit is the one that I'm looking toward. Two 2960 in a stack are seen as a single switch. Yes?

I'm OK running a teamed NIC with one as active and the other as standby. Can this be done with a pair of 2960-S switches?

[cowetacoit]

You can team your server NICs with an etherchannel to two seperate 2960 switches that are using the new Flex Stack, just like the 3750s. Same thing as using a 4500/6500 with multiple slots. The 2960 is now stackable and offers PoE along with 1g ports. 10g uplinks as well.

http://cisco.com/en/US/products/ps6406/prod_models_comparison.html

[goldiethedog]

OK, but can I do this bit?

With a pair of WS-C2960S-24TS-L to give me a stacked pair and Gbit ports.

Then I need to connect 8 WS-C2960-24TT-L switches to the stack. One switch at a time using Gbit uplink ports on these switches to span across the paired stack to add resilience should one of the stack switches fails.

[Leo Laohoo]

The 2960S is the way to go nowadays.  The 2975 is another candidate but I believe the 2350 and the 2975 will soon be gone because both of their main functionalities have been rolled into the 2960S (S stands for Stack).

If you stack two or more 2960S together, like the 3750, they appear as one logical switch.  From the switch, you etherchannel both links and from the server you "team" them.